Satomi Akesaka to Retire From BanG Dream! Project

Earlier today, the official BanG Dream!website announced that actress Satomi Akesaka will retire from the project’s Roselia group. Akesaka will formally “graduate” from Roselia on September 17, during the Roselia Fan Meeting 2018 event.

Amuleto, Akesaka’s agency, stated that the actress suffered from sudden hearing loss twice in March. While she did recover from both cases, doctors stated that continuing her musical career would be difficult, due to the possible danger of a recurrence.

Satomi Akesaka plays Roselia’s keyboardist Rinko Shirokane. Her role will be recast in smartphone game BanG Dream! Girls Band Party, as well as other media going forward. The new role will be announced once the staff determines who will succeed Akesaka.

The actress has been active in the entertainment industry since 2004, where she made her début as Futaba Anzai in Koi Kaze. Since then, she’s gone on to play parts in numerous fan favorite roles, including Lucky Star, Tantei Opera Milky Holmes, Pretty Rhythm: Dear My Future, Nanbaka, and Akame ga KILL!.

In June, we reported that Roselia’s actor for Yuki Nakashima was also stepping down. Yurika Endō was succeeded by Yuki Nakashima.

Two new seasons of the BanG Dream! anime are currently in the works for 2019. Season 2 will hit Japanese TV in January, while Season 3 will air in October.

BanG Dream! first entered the world as a manga series in the pages of Monthly Bushiroad magazine. The ongoing series, which is being handled by Kou Nakamura, kicked off in the January 8, 2015 issue.

The project received an anime adaptation, which aired in Winter 2017. Atsushi Ootsuki (To Love Ru: Darkness, Wagnaria!!2) helmed the project at studios Issen and Xebec, with Matsuko Nita providing character designs. Yuniko Ayana (Hello!! KINMOZA, Girls Beyond the Wasteland) was in charge of series composition.

Crunchyroll and The Anime Network both streamed the show as a simulcast. Sentai Filmworks holds the rights to the BanG Dream! anime, and describe the show as:

When she was a child, Kasumi Toyama (played by Poppin’ Party’s lead singer, Aimi) felt a heart-pounding thrill every time she gazed at the stars, and she’s been looking without success for something that could inspire the same feeling ever since. One day, she comes across a star-shaped guitar in a rundown pawnshop and, for the first time, discovers the thrill she’s been searching for. Kasumi becomes determined to form an all-girl band, and her search leads her to four like-minded souls: Saya, Arisa, Rimi, and Tae (all brought to life by the members of Poppin’ Party). Does this band have what it takes to make their dreams of stardom come true?

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